Communications
Communications policy and administration
Thailand printers refuse to print New York Times cover story
The New York Times’ printer in Thailand has refused to print one of its articles, leaving a blank space on its cover page. The article, titled “Thai spirits sagging with the economy”, discussed the country’s flagging economy and touched on royal succession concerns. The printer withheld an ...
Vientiane hosts ASEAN journalists' workshop
The “ASEAN journalists to cover the biggest cultural event workshop” was launched on 23 November in Vientiane, and will run from 23-26 November. Media personnel from ASEAN member countries are attending the workshop to exchange their traditions and culture and also share news reporting skills on their biggest cultural events. The ...
4G spectrum windfall to help farmers
The government will spend part of the revenue from the fourth-generation (4G) spectrum auction to finance the country’s agricultural plan to ease the impact of drought on farmers. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who leads the government’s economic team, said on 19 November a portion of revenue from the spectrum bidding ...
Ministry's IT skill standards expected to improve
The information and technology (IT) skill standards introduced by Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications will help training centres, employers and employees evaluate the competency of IT staff, experts have said. In May, the ministry issued a decree outlining skill standards for professional staff in the IT ...
Vietnam Television to reduce investment in pay TV market, focus on content: report
The national broadcaster Vietnam Television will disinvest from the pay TV market by selling most of its stakes in three major providers, whose combined market share is almost 73 percent, local media reported. Keep reading ...
Media understanding essential for regional cooperation success
The media has to fully comprehend the newly instigated sub-regional cooperation mechanism and participate in getting its message out to wider society for the initiative to succeed. Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Mr Savankhone Razmountry made the statement when speaking about the establishment of ...
Cyberwar unit not linked to single gateway, Prayut insists
The Royal Thai Armed Forces’ “cyberwarfare unit” has nothing to do with a controversial project to establish a single international Internet gateway, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said at his weekly press briefing on 27 October. Keep reading ...
Vietnam wants to take it slow with fast 4G wireless service
With a fast-growing mobile market of more than 136 million subscribers, Vietnam is now at the dawn of a new technology upgrade. But how fast should the country switch to hi-speed services remains a question. At a conference in Hanoi on 21 October, Tran Tuan Anh, an ...
Thailand scraps unpopular Internet 'Great Firewall' plan
Thailand’s military government has scrapped a plan to create a single Internet gateway, a deputy prime minister said on 15 October, putting paid to a system aimed at allowing authorities to monitor content. Keep reading ...
Junta mulls 'Great Firewall' for Thailand
Thailand’s junta is facing growing opposition over plans to introduce a single Internet gateway for the country to make it easier to monitor the web and block content. Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition against the proposal, which has been dubbed the “Great ...